The Anonymous Widower

Could Birmingham Become London’s New Runway?

There is no doubt, that London needs an extra runway. But could it be at Heathrow or Gatwick? Or even Birmingham?

London’s Current Runways

These are London’s current runways.

  • City – 09/27 – 1508 metres
  • Gatwick North – 08L/26R – 2565 metres
  • Gatwick South – 08R/26L – 3316 metres
  • Heathrow North – 09L/27R – 3902 metres
  • Heathrow South – 09R/27L – 3660 metres
  • Luton – 07/25 – 2162 metres
  • Southend – 05/23 – 1856 metres
  • Stansted – 04/22 – 3049 metres

Note.

  1. Gatwick’s runways are currently too close together, to be used at the same time.
  2. Heathrow’s runways are the longest that serve London.
  3. There are eight runways in total.

I’ve landed aircraft on the runwy at Luton, Southend and Stansted.

How Does Birmingham Airport Compare?

Consider.

  • Birmingham’s runway is 15/33 and 3052 metres long.
  • Birmingham Airport will be connected to High Speed Two, if and when that opens as predicted in 2036-2039.
  • A journey from London will take less than 50 minutes.

It could be an alternative runway with good connections to the capital.

What Do Airlines Think About Birmingham Airport?

I asked Google AI  and received this answer.

Airlines view Birmingham Airport (BHX) as an important, high-potential regional base in the UK, though operational and infrastructure pressures have caused friction.

Strong Commercial & Operational Appeal

Major Operating Base: BHX serves as a primary operating base for major low-cost and leisure carriers, including Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2.com, and TUI Airways.

Expanding Network: Airlines continue to support and grow routes out of Birmingham. Recent additions include carriers like Qatar Airways (to Doha), Saudia (to Jeddah), and Pegasus Airlines (to Istanbul), along with active targeting of new long-haul and unserved European markets.

Growth Ambitions: The airport has a £300 million investment schedule over the next decade to scale up to 18 million passengers by 2033, backed by strong local economic demand from the West Midlands corporate and leisure markets.

Operational Strain & Baggage/Capacity Issues

Baggage & Infrastructure Failures: Airlines operating out of BHX faced severe challenges during peak travel periods (such as summer 2026), when overwhelmed baggage handling systems forced airports and airlines to make the difficult trade-off of prioritizing strict flight slots and departures over loading passenger luggage—leaving hundreds of travelers flying without bags.

Mitigation Measures: To cope with heavy peak and holiday queues (such as security delays and check-in bottlenecks), airlines like easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, and TUI have heavily promoted day-before bag drop options at BHX to ease terminal congestion.

There is nothing there that can’t be fixed.

Is Birmingham Airport A Good Neighbour?

I asked Google AI  and received this answer.

Whether Birmingham Airport is considered a “good neighbour” depends heavily on whether you weigh its economic benefits to the West Midlands against the localized noise, environmental, and disruption impacts experienced by nearby communities.

The Case for the Airport (Economic and Regional Value)

Job Creation and Economy: Business groups and regional leaders view Birmingham Airport (BHX) as a vital engine for the Midlands, directly and indirectly supporting thousands of jobs and contributing billions to the regional economy.

Draft Master Plan (2026–2041): The airport has unveiled a £2 billion draft master plan aimed at doubling passenger capacity to roughly 30 million a year by making better use of its existing single runway rather than building a second one.

Public Consultations: The airport conducts public engagement sessions and highlights its investments in local community trusts and regional workforce programs (such as in East Birmingham and North Solihull).

The Complaints from Local Neighbours (Noise and Disturbance)

Aircraft Noise: Residents living directly under or near flight paths—in villages and suburbs like Bickenhill, Marston Green, Sheldon, and Elmdon—frequently report stress, sleep disruption, and noise pollution from early-morning and night-time flights.

Night Flights and Caps: Tensions regularly flare over night-flying limits. While the airport maintains that it operates within permitted statutory limits and transitions toward quieter aircraft, local action groups argue that expanded night-flight allowances and increased traffic degrade local quality of life.

Surface Access and Local Infrastructure: Increased road traffic, parking spillover, and drop-off charges remain a persistent point of friction for nearby towns and drivers.

Note.

  1. Birmingham Airport can be expanded by making better use of the single runway.
  2. I believe that by 2040, there will be zero-carbon 70 seat airliners, that will have a range of a thousand kilometres.
  3. For distances longer than a thousand kilometres, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) will be used.
  4. Birmingham Airport also needs to be connected to the West Midlands Metro.

Flight Distances From Birmingham Airport

These are distances to various airports in kilometres.

  • Aberdeen – 329 km.
  • Amsterdam – 529 km.
  • Belfast George Best – 363 km.
  • City of Derry – 457 km.
  • Cork – 465 km
  • Dublin – 320 km.
  • Dusseldorf – 597 km.
  • Edinburgh – 402 km.
  • Geneva – 894 km.
  • Glasgow – 418 km.
  • Hamburg – 795 km.
  • Hannover – 774 km.
  • Inverness – 585 km.
  • Kirkwall – 727 km.
  • Munich – 1059 km.
  • Newcastle – 287 km.
  • Newquay – 318 km.
  • Nice – 1181 km.
  • Paris Charles de Galle – 488 km.
  • Sumburgh – 826 km.

The energy revolution in aviation, could be starting in Birmingham.

When Will The Third Runway At Heathrow Be Finished?

Estimates vary, but I reckon, it will be 2040 before the third runway opens.

The Wikipedia entry for the Expansion of Heathrow Airport says this.

On 16 December 2020, the UK Supreme Court lifted the ban on the third runway, allowing a planning application via a Development Consent Order to go ahead. The plan stalled in 2023 after post-COVID pandemic falling passenger numbers and concerns about investment costs, but as of June 2024 the third runway is still planned with a projected completion date around 2040. In January 2025, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves confirmed it was the new Labour government’s plan to proceed with a third runway within the current parliamentary term.

If it is 2040, then it is likely that High Speed Two will be open to Birmingham Airport before Heathrow’s Third Runway is completed..

 

 

 

 

October 17, 2026 Posted by | Environment, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Eurowings Launches New Routes From London Gatwick To Germany

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on aviation24.be.

This is the sub-heading.

Eurowings has officially launched operations at London Gatwick Airport, introducing new connections to Germany as part of its summer expansion.

This two paragraphs add more details.

The airline now operates 13 weekly flights to Cologne—its only UK link to the city—since 29 March. This has been complemented by a six-times-weekly service to Stuttgart, launched on 14 April. Both routes are served from Gatwick’s North Terminal.

The move strengthens connectivity between the UK and key German economic and cultural centres, targeting both business and leisure demand while feeding into Eurowings’ wider European network.

I talked about more Gatwick services in Condor Celebrates Inaugural Flight Of New Frankfurt–London Gatwick Route.

But to check, there weren’t others, I asked Google AI,”Which Airlines Have Started Using Gatwick Since January 2026?” and received this answer.

As of April 2026, London Gatwick has launched its largest airline expansion in a decade, welcoming nine new carriers—Jet2, Air France, Condor, Eurowings, AnimaWings, AirAsia X, Air Arabia, Beijing Capital Airlines, and Pegasus—for the 2026 summer season. These airlines offer new connections across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, with many commencing operations in March and April 2026.
Key Airlines and Launch Dates (2026):
Jet2 (March 26): Launched its first flights, building to 29 destinations, with six based aircraft.

Air France (March 29): Returned to Gatwick, offering twice-daily services from Paris.

Condor (April 1): Launched three daily flights to Frankfurt.

Eurowings (March 29): Commenced services to Cologne and Stuttgart.

AnimaWings (March 22): Started six weekly flights to Bucharest.

Pegasus (June 15): Starts operations to Istanbul.

Beijing Capital Airlines (June 24): Commences flights to Qingdao.

AirAsia X (June 26): Returns to London, offering flights to Kuala Lumpur via Bahrain.

Air Arabia (June 26): Starts twice-daily flights from Sharjah.

This influx of carriers has allowed Gatwick to offer over 230 destinations in the summer 2026 schedule, restoring connectivity to its highest level since 2019.

It must increase the need for a second runway.

At least Gatwick’s plans seem well advanced, as this visualisation shows.

Gatwick With Two Runways

Gatwick With Two Runways

This appears to me to be a good efficient design.

  • The new runway is on the left.
  • It looks like the secondary North runway, used when the current main runway is under maintenance, is still in place.
  • Between the two runways is a massive new terminal.
  • Note the station in the bottom right corner, with the Brighton Main Line going across.
  • The red line is a shuttle, that takes passengers between the current North and Main terminals, the new terminal and the train station.
  • Little demolition seems to have taken place.

But in some ways, where the runway is built is irrelevant, if Crossrail and the improved Thameslink work as they say on their trains.

These two high-capacity railways will give Heathrow and Gatwick a shared terminal called London, that unfortunately for them, they will share with  Stansted, Luton, HS2 and Eurostar.

I feel though, that because of Brexit, we’ll see a decision before the end of the year and possibly in the next few weeks.

British governments have fiddled for far too long!

 

April 17, 2026 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments